Fibroid surgery in the United States typically costs between $2,700 and $14,000 or more, depending on the type of procedure, where it’s performed, and your insurance coverage. That range spans everything from a same-day uterine fibroid embolization to a full abdominal myomectomy or hysterectomy requiring a multi-day hospital stay. Your actual out-of-pocket share could be a fraction of those numbers with insurance, or the full amount if you’re paying cash.
Cost by Procedure Type
There’s no single “fibroid surgery.” The cost depends heavily on which procedure you and your doctor choose, and that decision usually comes down to fibroid size, location, number, and whether you want to preserve your uterus.
Myomectomy removes fibroids while leaving the uterus intact. The mean total cost runs about $14,200 for women with commercial insurance and around $11,800 for those on Medicaid. That figure includes surgeon fees, anesthesia, facility charges, and related care. Within myomectomy, there are subtypes that affect price: about a third of procedures are done hysteroscopically (through the vagina and cervix, with no incision), another third are open abdominal surgery, and roughly a quarter are laparoscopic (small incisions with a camera). Hysteroscopic myomectomy is generally the least expensive because it can be done as an outpatient procedure with a shorter recovery.
Hysterectomy, which removes the uterus entirely, lands in a similar cost range. Average total hospital costs for hysterectomy come to about $5,700, though the all-in figure with professional fees, pre-op testing, and post-operative care can push well above that. Hysterectomy patients typically stay about two days in the hospital.
Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) is a non-surgical alternative where a radiologist blocks blood flow to the fibroids, causing them to shrink. It’s significantly cheaper: the average total hospital cost is around $2,700, roughly half the cost of hysterectomy or myomectomy. UFE is usually a same-day discharge procedure, which cuts facility fees substantially.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
The single biggest cost variable is whether you’re treated in a hospital or an outpatient surgery center. Research on surgical procedures broadly shows that outpatient settings cost 18% to 58% less than the same procedure performed in a hospital. For a fibroid procedure that can be done either way, like a laparoscopic myomectomy or UFE, choosing an outpatient center can save thousands of dollars.
Geographic location matters too. Healthcare costs vary significantly by region, and with U.S. medical costs projected to rise about 9.6% in 2026 alone, prices are climbing across the board. A procedure quoted at $10,000 this year could easily cost $11,000 next year at the same facility. Urban hospitals in high-cost-of-living areas (New York, San Francisco, Boston) tend to charge more than facilities in smaller cities or rural areas.
The complexity of your case also plays a role. Multiple fibroids, very large fibroids, or fibroids in difficult locations may require longer operating times, more advanced imaging beforehand, and additional surgeon expertise. All of that adds to the bill.
Pre-Surgery Costs to Expect
Before any fibroid procedure, you’ll need diagnostic imaging. Most women start with a pelvic ultrasound, which is relatively inexpensive. If your doctor needs more detail, a pelvic MRI will follow. The total pre-operative costs, including imaging, lab work, and consultations in the two weeks before surgery, average around $560 to $1,040 depending on the procedure being planned. UFE and focused ultrasound treatments tend to require more extensive pre-op imaging than a straightforward myomectomy, which can push those preparatory costs higher.
What Insurance Typically Covers
Most health insurance plans cover fibroid surgery when it meets medical necessity criteria. In practice, this means your fibroids need to be causing symptoms, heavy bleeding, pain, or other problems that haven’t responded to more conservative treatments like medication. UnitedHealthcare’s policy is representative of the industry: hysterectomy is covered when symptoms can’t be controlled by conservative treatment, and uterine artery embolization is considered proven and medically necessary for symptomatic fibroids.
If you have insurance, your out-of-pocket cost will depend on your deductible, copay, and coinsurance structure. For a $14,000 myomectomy, someone with a $2,000 deductible and 20% coinsurance might pay around $4,400 out of pocket, while someone who has already met their deductible could pay as little as a few hundred dollars. If your plan has an out-of-pocket maximum (most do), that caps your total exposure regardless of the procedure cost.
One thing to watch: some newer treatments, like MRI-guided focused ultrasound, are considered unproven by certain insurers and won’t be covered. Always verify coverage for your specific procedure before scheduling.
Recovery Time and Lost Income
The cost of fibroid treatment goes beyond the hospital bill. Recovery time varies dramatically by procedure, and the wages you lose during that period can rival the medical costs themselves.
Open abdominal myomectomy has the longest recovery. Patients take an average of 30 to 32 days of sick leave, and daily activities are impaired for four to eight weeks. About half of women feel “recovered” by six weeks after open surgery, and two-thirds feel back to normal around that same mark. If you earn $4,000 per month, a five-week absence from work represents roughly $5,000 in lost wages on top of your surgical costs.
Laparoscopic and hysteroscopic myomectomy recovery is shorter, with many women returning to work within one to two weeks. UFE recovery is shorter still, since there’s no surgical incision. Some women resume light activities within a few days, though full recovery takes one to two weeks for most. Focused ultrasound patients in one study resumed normal activities after a median of 15 days.
When comparing the true cost of different procedures, factoring in this recovery gap is essential. A UFE at $2,700 with one week off work is a very different financial picture than an open myomectomy at $14,000 with five weeks off work.
How to Reduce Your Total Cost
If you’re uninsured or facing high out-of-pocket costs, a few strategies can make a real difference. Ask your surgeon’s office about cash-pay pricing, which is often 30% to 50% lower than the rates billed to insurance. Many hospitals also offer financial assistance programs or payment plans with no interest.
Choosing a less invasive procedure when medically appropriate saves money on two fronts: lower facility fees and a faster return to work. If your fibroids are eligible for UFE or hysteroscopic removal rather than open surgery, the total economic impact (medical bills plus lost income) can be less than half.
Getting the procedure done at an ambulatory surgery center instead of a hospital, when your surgeon offers that option, is another reliable way to cut costs. And if your surgery is planned rather than urgent, timing it so it falls after you’ve met your annual deductible for other medical expenses can significantly reduce what you owe.